Avid fan solves Rubik’s Cube after 26 years

15-year old Shotaro Makisami of Pasadena can solve the Rubik’s Cube in 14.91 seconds. Leyan Lo of San Francisco can do it in 11.3. And the world record holder for cracking the tiled brain-twister is Erik Akkersdijk of the Netherlands. He finished the puzzle in just 7.08.

Well, Graham Parker is definitely not one of them.

After 26 years of frustration, Parker has finally managed to solve the cube that confounded him.

He first bought his Rubik’s Cube in 1983 and has since spent more than 27,400 hours struggling with the colored cube puzzle, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Graham said: “I cannot tell you what a relief it was to finally solve it. It has driven me mad over the years – it felt like it had taken over my life.

“I have missed important events to stay in and solve it and I would lay awake at night thinking about it.

“Friends have offered to solve it for me and I know that you can find solutions on the web but I just had to do it myself.

“I have had wrist and back problems from spending hours on it but it was all worth it.

“When I clicked that last bit into place and each face was a solid colour I wept.”

His wife Jean said his obsession put a terrible strain on their marriage.

“When I met Graham, he was already obsessed with the cube – spending hours on it every day”, she said. “I have often thought about getting rid of it but I knew he would not rest until he had solved it.”

A spokesman for the World Cube Association, said it was “definitely the longest it has taken” to complete the cube.